Can up-ending mechanism



Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

SHEET l.

2 SHELIS F. PILLEY. CAN UP-ENDING MECHANIS APPLICATION FILED JUNE II. 19

Patented Feb. 1, 1921.,

2 SHEET$-SHEET 2.

U IM WW UNITED STAT" FRANK YILLEY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

CAN UP-END ING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Feb; 1, 1921.

Application filed June 11, 1919. Serial No. 303,411.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK PILLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of 'Jackson and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in CanUp-Ending Mechanism; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters andfigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to up-endingmechanism for containers andit isparticularly applicable for use in connection with milk can cleaningapparatus.

Milk cans are generally cleaned by being passed in inverted positionalong a way so that the interior may be sub ected to' the action of'hotwater, steam or some suitable sterilizing means. They are thendischarged to be deposited upon a runway down which they may gravitateto a collecting platform or base.

I have provided means whereby the inverted cans maybe up-ended between.the point of discharge from the can cleaning apparatus or machine andthe runway and I have arranged the up-ending mechanism so that it may beactuated in synchronism with certain elements of the can cleaningmechanism so that the movement of the up-end ing element will be timedwith the discharge of the can from the can washing machine.

The invention contemplates the provision of means for receiving aninverted can and for positively up-endin'g it sothat its bottom willrest upon an inclined way or receiving platform and it is the purpose ofthe invention to accomplish this without dentingthe can.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparenthereinafter by reference to the description in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which-- Figure I is a perspective view of anupending device constructed in' accordance with m invention.

Fig. I is a side' elevational view of the same showing the basket incan-receiving position.

Fig. III is a side elevational view of my invention showing the basketin can-dischargm position.

F 1g. V is a fragmentary view of a rest bar, and

Fig. V is a cross sectional view through the basket showing a bufferroller in elevation.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals of reference:

1 designates a can cleaning machine of approved construction, here shownas being provided with a can guideway 2 and a can top guldeway 3, thetops 4; being shown as secured to the cans 5 by coupling wires 6. In theside of the can cleaning machine is a slot 7 in which is mounted anoscillatory bar 8 pivoted atone end and engaged at the other end'9 by areciprocatory pitman 10,

' which may be driven by any suitable power.

. way 11 provided with the rollers 12 down which the cans may gravitate.

By reference to ig. I it will be observed that interposed between therunway 11 and the can washing machine is a can up-ending mechanismincluding a supporting frame 13 at the rear of which is journaled a rockshaft 14 carrying a swinging cradle or basket 15. The basket is shown asconsisting of side bars 16 and 17 "in the form of cranks rigidly securedupon the shaft 14. and the side bars are connectedby a web 18 of metalhaving a concave portion 19 and a flat portion 20. Extending forwardlyof 'the basket and integral with the side bars 16 and 17 is asubstantially V-shaped can tilting member 21, the forward part of which,when the basket is in receiving position, is inclined downwardly, therebeing a transverse can lip engaging bar or rib 22 at the intersection ofthe .angles so that when the can is discharged from the can washingmachine, the lip of the can will strike against the bar 21 and throw itover into the concave ortion 19, as best seen in Figs. I and II,xtending across the basket is a rod Q3 which carries a relatively softrubber bufl'er roller 2-1 positioned at the forward end of the corn caveportion 19 so that when the cans are thrown from a vertical to ahorizontal osition, they will strike against the r01 er 24 which willreceive the impact of the blow and thereby prevent denting of the cans.The. rod 23 is vertically adjustable with end slots 25 and 26 carried bythe forward portions ofthe arms 16' and 17, and said rod may be held inits adjusted position through the medium of the nuts 27 and 28 on the.

rod 23. The forward end of the swingin member, which includes the basketand the can-receiving portion, is adapted to rest upon a bar or yoke 29adjustably secured to the top bars of the frame 13 by the fasteningdevices 30 and 31. The bar 29 is adjustable to provide for differentsize cans, as is also the rod 23.

have provided mechanism for swinging the cradle 15 in synchronism withthe discharging mechanism of the can washing mac ine and this operatingmechanism is shown in Figs. I, II and III as including a crank 32,normally depending from the shaft 14 and connected to a sectionallyadjustable operating link 33, one end of which is pivoted to the crank32 intermediate its ends and the other end of which is provided with alatch head 34 extending ad acent to the can advancing or discharginglever 8. The lever 8 is provided with an upstanding lug or projection 35adapted to engage a notch or projection 36 on the head 34 supported uponthe rail 37 by the roller 38 but the head is adapted to be thrown out ofengagement with .the lug 35 when the camface 39 of the head contactswith the inclined face 40 of the release cam 41, as will be presentlyexplained.

The end 42 of the crank 32 is connected to a piston rod 43 on one end ofwhich is a piston 44 in a-pivoted dash pot cylinder 45, the piston beingfree to move from left to right on account of the orts 46rbut themovement in an opposite irection being resisted by the pressure betweenthe piston and the head 47, which can only be relieved through the petcock 48,the resistance to the piston 44 being controllable through saidpet cock.

When the parts are assembled as illustrated in the drawings and the bar8 moves from right to left to advance or eject a can, the can will bethrown upon the V-shaped can-receiving portion of the cradle so that thelip will contact with the rib 22 whereby the inertia of the can willcause it to tilt over into the concave portion 19 of the basket. By thistimethe lug 35 will have ridden over the cam face 39 to engage the notch36 and as the pitman 1Q moves from left to right under the action of acrank or other appropriate device, the link 33 will move wit it, swinginthe arm 32 on shaft 14 so that an upwar rearward swinging movement willbe imparted to the cradle, as

.shaft,

indicated in Figs. II and III, so that the can will be carried to averticaliposition and deposited upon the gravity runway ll top side up.This movement will cause the end 39 of the link 33 to contact with theinclined face 40 of the release cam 41 so as to raise the head 34 out ofengagement with the projection 35 and thereby permit the cradle to swingforward to the position shown in Fig. I. The forward swinging movementof the cradle will be resisted, however, by the piston 44 in thecylinder 45 so that the cradle will come to rest upon the bar 29gradually Without liability of jarring the mechanism.

The cycle of operation just described will be repeated as often as thecans are ejected from the can recleaning machine the can up-endingmovement of the cradle being relatively rapid and positively actuatedthrough the bar 8 but the recovery being relatively slow near the finalposition of rest on account of the dash pot consisting of the piston 44and the cylinder 45.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the mechanismmay be readily operated from the power of a washing machine so as tooperate in unison therewith and so that the cradle will be in positionto receive the cans at each ejecting operation.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

i. In a can up-ending machine, a rock shaft, a can up-ending meanscarried by the rock shaft, a crank connected to the rock shaft, meansfor ositively actuating the rock shaft inone direction, and means foryieldingly resisting its movement in the opposite direction.

2. In a can up-ending machine, a rock shaft, 2. can up-ending meanscarried by the rock shaft comprising means for tilting the can and abasket to receive the can, and means for imparting a swinging movementto the rock shaft in one direction.

3. In a can up-ending' machine, a rock a can up-ending means carried bythe rock shaft comprising means for tilting the can and a basket toreceive the can, means for imparting a swinging movement to the rockshaft in one direction, and means for yieldingly resisting movement ofthe rock shaft in the opposite direction.

4. In a can up-ending machine, a rock shaft, a cradle carried by therock shaft, can overturning means carried by the cradle to seat the canin said cradle and means for actuating the rock shaft.

5. In combination with a can washing machine in which the cans areprogressively advanced through the machine, and a can receiving meansspaced therefrom, of a can up-ending mechanism between the two,comprising a cradle capable of swinging in the arc of a circle, canreversing means therein, and means for operating the cradle in synshaftand means for actuating the rock shaft to swing the other end of the canupending member in an are generated from said rock shaft by the canadvancing mechanism.

7. A can washing machine having can advancing mechanism, a can up-endingmechanism. atthe discharge end of the washing machine, and comprising aswinging canreceiving member, a link for operating the swinging member,a notched head on the A link, means moving with a part on the washingmachine to engage the notch in the head to impart movement to the linkin one direction, and means for releasing the head upon completion ofits movement in one direction. 4

8. A can washing machine having can advancing mechanism, a can up-endingmechanism at the discharge end of the washing machine, and comprising aswinging canreceiving member, a link for operating the swinging, member,a notched head on the link, means moving with a part on the washingmachine to engage the notch in the head to impart movement to the linkin one direction, means for releasing the head upon completion of itsmovement in one direction, and yielding means for resisting movement ofthe can-receiving member in one direction.

9. A can up-ending mechanism com ris-' ing a swinging can up-endingmember aving a free end, a supportin bar for the free and and means forvertical y adjusting said 10. A can lip-ending mechanism comprising aswinging can up-ending member, a buffer thereon, and means for adjustingsaid bufler.

11. A can washing machine having a discharge end an inclined gravityconveyer in line with the discharge end of the washing machine andhaving its receiving end in the plane of the discharge end of thewashing machine, and-a swinging can-reversin device betwen the washingmachine an the conveyer, said reversing device being pivoted at one endand having its opposite free end provided with means for tilting thecans to reversing position.

12. A can up-endin mechanism comprising a rock shaft an means foroperating a cradle carried by the shaft, comprising a can receivingbasket at one end, an incline at the other end, and acan-lip-engagingbar carried by the incline to upset the can into thebasket. v

13. In bombination with a can cleaning machine carrying a bar havingintermittent backward and forward movement to advance the cans throughthe machine, and a can up-ending member, having anoperating arm, of alink, one end of which is connected to said arm and the other having ahook adapted to be engaged by a lug on said bar to impart movement tosaidcradle, and a cam carried by the can cleaning machine adapted toengage the hook to free the hook from the lug.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FRANK PILLEY.

